Wednesday, June 30, 2010

In 2003, I resumed my noise project Goatfish, only I added a few letters to the name and, taking some guidance from Ron K of Eckankore, I focused my soundscapes rather than letting chaos rule. The result was a darker, more nightmarish noise than my Merzbow-inspired experiments of old.

Initially released as a made-to-order CDR, the web-based Eleventh Key Records has reissued Room For One More, my first album as the mutated Ghoatefische, in their "Distributed Titles" section with new album art designed by Brian Magar. It's only $2 but over an hour of eardrum-piercing intensity, so it's quite a bargain, if I do say so myself.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Violent Fit is Dan, bassist/vocalist of Ultrabastard!, doing a solo hardcore thing in the Garage Band program. Don't let the "guy on a computer" aspect turn you off, though. This is some seriously noisy, pummeling shit, kind of a cross between Rupture and The Cows, or maybe Melt Banana and Poison Idea. I dig it, and you should, too.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

400 Blows were part of the Downtown LA scene that also spawned Leopold and Sleestak. In fact, I remember hearing that members of Sleestak and Leopold were instrumental in getting the band members together. Out of the three, though, 400 Blows became the most popular, taking a Melvins/Karp-style assault to an even more basic, primal level.

Christian (or Xian, as he later became known) played a guitar that was tuned to a single chord. He played with two fingers and daisy chained two amps together to get the high-end squeal and the low-end bass, so he effectively acted as both guitarist and bass player. Ferdie was the manic metronomic drummer propelling and accenting the wall-of-sound that emanated from Christian's two amps (and two fingers). At the front of the stage, Skot gyrated and contorted his body like a spastic as he delivered his oddball lyrics of alienation and reckless abandon. All three members wore black naval uniform shirts that Skot found in a thrift store. Sometimes Christian wore a bunny thing on this head. Eventually, Skot expanded his wardrobe to include black leather gloves and aviator sunglasses.

Most of these songs have been rerecorded and released on other 400 Blows albums, but this is how I remember the band sounding - a raw, in-your-face attack by an overgrown three-year-old who tauntingly chants "na na-na na na" as he beats your face into the edge of the concrete curb. For that, this is absolutely my favorite album by them. I suggest turning it up as loud as your ears can take, then a few more clicks and dancing like a heathen to the primitive groove.

I believe they're still around in some incarnation, though Skot's the only original member at this point. After not seeing them for years, I caught them in 2004 at the Knitting Factory in NYC. Skot was outside and he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw me. He gave me a hug and got my buddy and me in on the list. That's the last time I saw the original lineup.

The images and music were uploaded with the full consent of Anthony Francoso, owner of Total Annihilation Records. Thank you, Anthony!